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11 Aug 2021

North coast fishing waters still on the boil

Richard Spingorum (Zululand Observer) Picture: Local angler Dean Reddy landed this beautiful rock cod while enjoying some time out on the beach recentl

The north coast has yet again produced good catches over the past week on both the deep sea and rock and surf fronts. Those fishing the deep water spots have been rewarded with mainly daga and geelbek. Sardine and chokka bait worked best. Live bait has been the best bet, producing the bigger bites, but have been hard to come by.

Smaller bottom fish have been caught on the inshore reefs along the lower north coast region. A 6/0 circle hook works perfectly for most species in the smaller range.

Plenty of tuna and couta were around for the guys fishing in the deeper areas, while the backline has seen some good garrick and snoek action. The snoek favoured the Strike Pro Magic Minnows or a fillet bait trolled behind the backline, while the garrick have been more interested in live mackerel.

Rock and surf

If targeting the classic summer fish or larger edibles, then the north coast remains the place to go. The reefs and ledges up around Cape Vidal have been a great place to scratch for those bigger edibles. There have been some pompano feeding in the sandier areas on crayfish and chokka baits on a light hook snood. The benefit of this type of bait is that not many fish can resist it.

Once again, the use of circle hooks in this application is essential, as it will lead to fewer snagged traces and more hooked fish. Use softer bait if you are baiting the circle up like a J-hook.

There has also been some nice flatfish coming out. A nice meaty mackerel bait will give you a good chance of hooking into a bigger flatfish or shark.

Source: The Kingfisher